Lee Carbide Deluxe Pistol 4-Die Set .45 ACP

Manufacturer

Lee

Caliber

.45 ACP

Details & Specs

Reviews

Questions

Lee Deluxe Pistol 4-Die Set combines one of the world’s most popular carbide three-die sets with the Lee Factory Crimp Die at a great price. By separating the seating and crimping operation, you will benefit by greatly simplified adjustment. More importantly, the Carbide Factory Crimp Die post sizes your case, assuring that any round that passes through the die will chamber properly in your gun.

1

Lee Carbide Deluxe Pistol 4-Die Set .45 ACP is rated
4.0 out of
5 by
1.

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Norm from
Got more than i needed!I bought this set after looking all over the Internet for Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension dies in .45 Auto. Everyone was back-ordering. I was looking for Hornady dies because I have a set in 9mm Luger and felt comfortable with them. I'm new at brass handloading, so thought it would be best for my learning curve.
However, I know Lee is a good name in affordable tools so went for it. The dies appeared to have slight superficial corrosion, but decided to accept the product anyway. Had some problems with the deprime pin slipping on me until I really cranked down on the collet (as advised in the manual). I don't use the powder through feature of the expanding die as I am using a single stage Lock-N-Load press, with Hornady bushings. It works just fine.
Bullet seating is much simpler, as crimping can be done separately using the "factory crimp" die. Since I am loading .45 Auto, no crimping or very little is required for my purpose and can all be handled during bullet seating. The Hornady equivalent is quite a bit more fiddly to set up.
There didn't seem to be much protective oil on the dies as received, but cleaned them thoroughly anyway. The manual doesn't recommend cleaning them first, but I know through reading that it is generally required to prevent problems.
I'm not a big fan of the aluminum collar/o-ring locking method. They work okay, but are quite easy to dislodge when swapping out dies. I may replace them with Hornady collars if it becomes an issue
Over all, I am very happy with this set. Sure can't argue with the price for what you get. Only catch is when using the Hornady LnL bushing system, you can't fit the dies in the case with the bushings on them. If that bothers you, it's not a problem -- just buy a $5 universal box from Hornady that will accomodate them if you wish.